This paper analyses the spatial distribution of economic activity in the European Union at NUTS2 level over the 2001-2010 period. The aim of the study is twofold: (i) to provide descriptive evidence of the agglomeration distribution in Europe and its evolution over time across countries; (ii) to...

We use US county level data (3,058 observations) from 1970 to 1998 to explore the relationship between economic growth and the extent of government employment at three levels: federal, state and local. We find that increases in federal, state and local government employments are all negatively...

Standortwettbewerb der Bundesländer ist prinzipiell eine gute Sache. Er bringt Effizienzgewinne, Kosteneinsparungen, verbesserte Leistungsangebote durch Konkurrenzdruck und präferenzgerechtere öffentliche Institutionen. Aber er kann dies nur, wenn es zu einem wirklichen Wettbewerb kommt....

We study the coagglomeration of domestic plants and foreign multinationals and the impact of this on domestic plant growth using data for Irish manufacturing. To this end we make use of the index developed by Ellison and Glaeser (1997) and find coagglomeration to be important for a number of...

The paper proposes an econometric approach for quantifying jointly the geographical scope of commuting as well as the various forms of agglomeration economies originating from metropolitan centers. Adopting an urban economics perspective, and using land prices to measure their aggregate effects,...

Thomas Friedman has argued in The World is Flat that those who deny rapid globalization will not survive in the global economy. First, we critically discuss Friedman's views and highlight the new globalization driven by outsourcing and vertical specialization. Second, we argue that Friedman pays...

This paper explores the procurement of public buildings in local authorities in the UK under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and its consequences for small and medium sized enterprises. Following an outline of the development of PFI in the UK, the paper explains the peculiarities of local...